During the weekend that just ended we spent several hours in the company of Anthem, the next BioWare title to be released on February 22nd. The VIP demo released by Electronic Arts allowed to enjoy only a small cross-section (three story missions, a fortress and five levels available with only two arrows available) of what will then be the final experience of the title. The impressions you will read, we would like to clarify, are reported net of the problems to the servers that have plagued this test weekend.
The first element that immediately catches the eye is the very high technical level; we tried it on Xbox One X and what we can tell you is that we are facing a mammoth title, rich in details and particles, dynamic and spectacular explosions and breathtaking settings. Despite some noticeable frame drops in truly critical situations (four super abilities launched at the same time cause a quantity of explosions that would collapse any game), the title felt really beautiful and artistically inspired. To this must be added a respectable sound sector that has accompanied each of our adventures by pressing us at the right moments, and also offering us a reproduction of sounds such as shots, explosions or very high level environmental noises. What surprised us in an extremely positive way is the gameplay: fast-paced, fast-paced, dynamic, surprisingly fun and also very layered in its mechanics. Anthem offers gameplay that adapts to different types of players, offering the opportunity to have fun for those who just want a game where "shoot, shoot and shoot" obtaining greater rewards, but at the same time it allows the veterans of the "looter-shooter" to use complex combo and build mechanics that require a careful study of the same and a notable synergy with the other team members.
During our test we played a few hours as the Guardian: the initial javelin well balanced and actually solid in both attack and damage resistance. Once we reached level 12, however, we unlocked another javelin, or the Storm and it is with this particular javelin that we discovered the true depth of Anthem. Although, as we told you earlier, the game can be approached flat and be played the same way with all the arrows, it is when you go deep that Anthem shows its best sides. The Storm is intended to be a support javelin, able to float in mid-air for a long time and bases its strength on elemental damage. Mastering the elements allows the Javelin to be a major source of critical damage for the whole team with the possibility, causing altered statuses to enemies, to make a lot of combos to the team. His super ability is also a concentrate of pure explosions with area effects.
In short, playing Anthem allowed us to discover a layered gameplay not only in the mechanics but also in the playful offer. The plot missions seemed to us well structured, diversified and with a variable longevity able to satisfy all palates. The fortress seemed to us a very stimulating experience, with several long and often complex phases, many rewards and a tough boss, able to bring out the best from the team with which we faced the challenge. Finally, honorable mention for free play, the fulcrum of grinding and material recovery activities but also of much of the “no obligation” fun of the title. Once again, therefore, a choice to please everyone, which does not take anything away from anyone, on the contrary it offers various solutions that are very varied and rich in content.
Where the title seemed a bit weak, in our opinion, is in the single player experience: played in single player, without any partner, Anthem seemed to us to lose much of its beauty, both due to the absence of synergies and strategies and with other companions, both because at high difficulty the enemies could really lead you to a sense of frustration that is not too pleasant.
Anthem was a pleasant surprise able to exalt us from a gameplay point of view, with a satisfying gunplay, a layered game ecosystem capable of proposing deep and varied approach strategies. Even on the technical side, despite some small problems such as frame drops in the most agitated situations and some bugs to be solved, we are facing a very inspired title able to fascinate players with its suggestive settings. The whole part of crafting and evolution of weapons and skills remains unjustified, which in such a limited demo are not able to offer a true mirror of how and how deep they will be in the final version of the game. Despite everything, however, BioWare's singing seems to be truly more melodious than ever.
► Anthem is an Action-RPG type game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 22/02/2019
Anthem is a beautiful game that cannot be missing from your collection: we have decided to evaluate it with a 76%, if you are interested in learning more you can read the Anthem Review
